Snipers opened fire on a team of United Nations inspectors on Monday on their
journey to reach the location of a poison gas attack in Damascus.

Shots were fired at the first vehicle in a convoy carrying UN experts to the eastern suburbs of Damascus, Syria, where hundreds were killed by chemical weapons in the early hours of last Wednesday.

President Bashar al-Assad’s regime had previously denied permission for the UN team to visit the locations of the attacks, until abruptly changing its position on Sunday. The inspectors left the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus in white vehicles clearly marked with “UN” letters.

However, a spokesman said: “The first vehicle of the chemical weapons investigation team was deliberately shot at multiple times by unidentified snipers”.

No-one was hurt in the incident. The inspectors replaced the bullet-damaged vehicle and carried on with their mission, added the UN spokesman. It was unclear which side in the civil war might have been responsible.

The regime does not deny that chemical weapons were used in rebel-held areas of Damascus last Wednesday where the UN inspectors arrived on Monday afternoon. Instead, Mr Assad’s position is that his enemies carried out the attack.

The mandate of the UN investigation team restricts them to establishing whether poison gas has been used - not who was responsible. After the passage of five days, much of the evidence will have faded away. The strongest residue left by sarin, VX or mustard gas usually disappears after about 48 hours.

However, the inspectors under the leadership of Prof Ake Sellstrom, a Swedish scientist, might still be able to gather soil samples and other forensic evidence. This could allow them to identify which chemical agents were used in the attack, a fact that might indirectly point the finger of blame. But their mandate will not allow them to give a conclusive answer the central question of who was responsible.